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Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - Sunday at Devil Dirt

ISOBEL CAMPBELL & MARK LANEGANSunday At Devil Dirt

When former Belle and Sebastian member Isobel Campbell and Screaming Trees growler Mark Lanegan got together to record 2006’s award-nominated Ballad Of The Broken Seas, it seemed as unlikely a partnership as Little Red Riding Hood collaborating with the Big Bad Wolf. Yet it proved to be a beguiling combination, so it is little surprise that the odd couple return for another outing.

Whereas the first record focused on the sandpaper and silk juxtaposition of the two singers, Sunday At Devil Dirt concentrates firmly on the whisky-gargled voice of Lanegan, with Campbell largely offering honeyed backing vocals. However, while her singing duties have diminished, this is very much Campbell’s record, as she wrote, arranged and produced it.

Lanegan’s delivery offers an equal amount of tenderness and menace. His vocal is often reminiscent of Tom Waits, while on The Raven he edges closer to Leonard Cohen’s baritone and in Salvation has the warmth of Johnny Cash. Campbell does occasionally take the front seat, most notably on the yearning and kinda filthy Shotgun Blues, which belies her twee image. Throughout the understated folk and cracked blues of the album, strings, brushed drums, bells and twangy guitars make for an enchanting, haunting ambience.

Because the contrasting vocals are no longer such a novelty, Sunday At Devil Dirt may not have the immediate appeal of its predecessor, but with each listen it reveals itself to be a deeper, layered and more atmospheric album, and is therefore ultimately even more rewarding than their debut.